April 2021

HCAP for April 30, 2021

FRIDAY (April 30, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:14–16)

Meditation
Jesus is the one voice of Truth and Love. His is a voice so intimately and so deeply connected to His Father, and to His sheep. Jesus knows us in and out. Our lives are like the open pages of a book lying in the sunlight. Nothing is hidden from Him, and His love never changes. His greatest desire is that all people come to know His voice as intimately as we do.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Father, we lift up Kelsey before you this day, asking that You would give her your mercy all the days of her life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for May 1, 2021

SATURDAY (May 1, 2021)
St. Philip and St. James, Apostles
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”” (John 10:17–18)

Meditation
Jesus’ humility—His emptying Himself to become one of us through the birth of a woman—His suffering and death—His sacrifice—was done out of love. Jesus willingly submitted to the incarnation and all that follows. This is a strange love, one that we will never fully understand this side of heaven. Christ calls us by name and wraps us in His loving arms always and forever.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
O Lord, in Holy Baptism you put your Name upon Jim. Bless him now with the forgiveness of sins and a firm trust in you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer for the Feast of St. Philip and St. James, Apostles
Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the way, the truth, and the life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 26, 2021

MONDAY (April 26, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”” (Acts 4:5–12)

Meditation
Just as the rulers, elders and scribes had tried to trip up Jesus, to catch him in order to silence Him, they are now turning to the disciples. Obviously, there attempts to “silence” Jesus by torturing Him and crucifying Him did not work. His Word cannot be imprisoned or captured or quieted.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Heavenly Father, bless Gary with faith in you and fervent love toward all those who cross his path this day. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 27, 2021

TUESDAY (April 27, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16–18)

Meditation
God’s mercy and love towards us is the first and greatest gift. This mysterious Love gives us new life in the waters of baptism. This Divine Love feeds us at the table so that we are strengthened in body and soul. This Love fills us to overflowing so that we might go out and love one another. This is a Love who compels us to action—to Love in action with acts of mercy towards our neighbor in need.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Lord Jesus Christ, be with Mavis this week. Give her your grace and teach her to learn more of your mercy with each passing day. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 28, 2021

WEDNESDAY (April 28, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:19–24)

Meditation
God’s love for us is immeasurable. It defies space and time and all reason. God’s love is a mystery, not a theory to be dissected or a problem to be solved, but rather a mystery to be encountered and experienced. And, knowing our need for the tangible, God put a face to His love in His Son, Jesus. In Jesus, we see the face of God. We see the face of Love.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Be with Jeff this day, O Lord, and show him your great love throughout all the days of his life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 29, 2021

THURSDAY (April 29, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” (John 10:11–14)

Meditation
Jesus, our good shepherd, is always with us. He journeys with us. He guides us. He leads us. He cares for us. Luther writes, “in this single little word ‘shepherd’ there are gathered together in one almost all the good and comforting things that we praise in God”.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Show your grace to Bonnie this day, as she goes about the callings you have given to her. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 25, 2021

SUNDAY (April 25, 2021)
Fourth Sunday of Easter
St. Mark, Evangelist
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Reading
“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” (Acts 4:1–4)

Meditation
Jesus, the Truth, can be a source of annoyance to those who do not believe. Mercy dispensed inappropriately—to those who are on the margins and have done nothing to deserve it like the lame man healed by Peter and John—can also cause annoyance and discord. Adding fuel to the fire, there is now resurrection talk and the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection! In an attempt to silence the Truth, Peter and John are thrown in jail, but to no avail for the Truth had been proclaimed and many were given the gift of faith.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Let your grace be upon Denise, O Lord, and teach her to hope in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 24, 2021

SATURDAY (April 24, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”” (Luke 24:36)

Reading
“Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]” (Mark 16:14–20)

Meditation
How easy it is to sit in fear, hoarding the gift of salvation we have been given. But Jesus is not a possession to be hoarded. He is a gift for the life of the world. Let us continue to spread the good news of our Savior.

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
O Lord, in Holy Baptism you put your Name upon Michael. Bless him now with the forgiveness of sins and a firm trust in you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Lord’s Prayer

HCAP for April 23, 2021

FRIDAY (April 23, 2021)
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Gospel Sentence
“As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”” (Luke 24:36)

Reading
“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”” (Luke 24:44–49)

Meditation
Jesus walks with the men on the road and reinterprets all of scripture through Himself. He is prophet, priest and king. The disciples are His witnesses—they testify to His life, death and resurrection. Jesus then sends them out to all nations to proclaimed what they have witnessed. How are we sent out to proclaim what we have witnessed in Jesus Christ?

Silence

Prayer for Holy Cross Member
Father, we lift up Teresa before you this day, asking that You would give her your mercy all the days of her life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week (from Sunday)
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Lord’s Prayer